Wednesday, 2 July 2014

It’s weird to think of the music industry when I was a teenager. I remember Napster like it was yesterday. Sitting under the stairs, watching bars creep up along the download display. Digging up music I’d read about in Terrorizer,Kerrang etc, and hearing it for FREE. Iron Monkey, Mastodon, Dalek, Botch. Weird bands. Bands I wasn’t sure I’d like. Bands I now love.

Before Napster happened I would trawl the (dial-up) internet for hours at a time picking through obscure band websites for samples of their music. Occasionally I’d stumble, sweaty palmed, onto a video or full song. This wasn't just a buzz, it was economically imperative. At that time, all my money was spent on CD’s and cider. As a teenager with limited opportunities for income, I needed to make sure I got maximum return on my outgoings. Buying cider was guaranteed fun, but when buying CD’s that wasn’t always the case. Countless times I’d buy an album, get it home, bump it, and feel nothing. I listened to some pretty impenetrable music and bands like Nile and Emperor taught me to give every album due effort, and generally that album would give back. Sometimes though, you just don’t get it, or it sucks.

It’s sad when it sucks. You could have bought the other CD. Or bought cider.

Not only that, but some music industry noob with a ponytail is getting rich off your bad luck. If a ponytailed meanie wants to sell me some good music, cool, I can handle that. Ponytails are timeless right? If he’s mugging me off with a rushed or simply below-par album, I want to honey-dip his pony ass-hair in sulphuric acid.

you would.

I don’t illegally download music and I don’t judge you if you do, but I have made the decision to pay for stuff if I want it. I have some disposable income (although not a lot) and want artists I like to be able to make at least a meagre living from their art. Despite this fact, I LOVE the internet because it means there’s less ponytails knocking about. Artists are putting out more stuff independently. The less people can make money off an artist the less likely anyone is to get screwed. Business’s priority is never the product, nor the consumer, it’s the profits. The less business is involved in art, the better.

Which leads me to this- I double love it when artists give stuff away for free! No ponytails anywhere. And more money for cider! If there is no other motive than reaching your ears, you know an artist rates what they’ve made. And they’ve made it how they want it.

Which leads me to this- The Morning by Franke Stew and Harvey Gunn. These two uber-talented and scarily young men have put out a free album and it is really, really good. Download it NOW and spend your money on some cider.